COVE

This version of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám was translated into English by Edward FitzGerald, with interesting black and white illustrations produced by Marjorie Anderson. This book was published by London: Collins Clear-Type Press sometime in the 1950s. It includes FitzGerald's first and second editions and an introduction by Laurence Housman. It is one hundred and twenty-six pages long.

This edition stands out in its simplicity. While many editions of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám have intricate and exotic decals, borders, and fonts, this edition revels in its unassuming looks, only having a small silver border around the title. The rest of the front and back of the book is a solid red. The only exotic feature is on the first unnumbered page, where we see the title of the book in an Islamic style script. The book, outside of those features and the illustrations, has nothing special about its look. This was a gift book intended for those who do not like the fanciful extras of the other editions. Even the inside of the book, barring illustrations, is like any other book. This version does away with the gilded borders and fancy fonts of older versions. Even the illustrations, though quite well done, are kept modest.

The first interesting element is the introduction, where Laurence Housman goes in depth for thirteen pages about the differences in editions, but also how FitzGerald's work has blended both translation and original work into something new. He explains how FitzGerald, by writing the Rubáiyát, was revolting against the theology of his day and, to some degree, trying to escape it. As a final point in the introduction, Laurence explains the philosophy of FitzGerald and Omar. Both of them guess that a “potter”, a god or godlike being, exists, but they do not guess whether the potter is as good or as interested in life as we are.

Next are the illustrations done by Marjorie Anderson. I wish I could say more about who Marjorie was and what kind of art she worked on other than this. But all my research has turned up nothing concrete about her. The illustrations we do see in the book are nicely done, black and white images. Being no artist, I could not say what style they are drawn in. But, there is a Persian influence, I would say, and one of the pictures I think shows this best is on page twenty-seven. The illustration is the representation of one of the most well-known verses, where the subject sits under the tree with a loaf, some wine, and a book of verse. It’s the most intricate and detailed picture in the entire book. It’s a nice illustration, showing the serene, peaceful feeling that FitzGerald was trying to convey through words.

This edition, although a gift book, is different in many ways from other gift books. It differs because of its simplicity in form and design, its well-drawn illustrations, and because there is an intellectual examination of FitzGerald’s goals and processes in writing this book. This is what makes it stand out from the rest, it does not want a casual reader, but someone who will drink the wine of its text and appreciate what it has to offer.